Postmodernism and popular culture

by Tam, Pui-kam

Abstract (Summary)

(Uncorrected OCR) ABSTRACT

This dissertation entitled 'Postmodemism and Popular Culture: TV as a form of postmodemity' aims to explore the relationship between postmodemism and one of the popular culture media, TV The way in which TV acts as a form of postmodemity is the subject matter. The question on reality, an issue of great concem to theorists of postmodemism is examined throughout the dissertation. Based on the postmodem concept of which reality no longer exists and that only images endure in the age of information, one of the earliest television wars, the Persian Gulf War and reality TV are used to illustrate the role of television in the postmodem world: a constructor of 'reality'. This is the way in which TV is being demonstrated as a form of postmodemity in this dissertation.

In Chapter 1, one of the most distinctive features of postmodemism, the 'loss of the real' is examined and followed by a discussion on the emergence of simulation and the 'hyperreal' as put forward by French theorist, Jean Baudrillard. Following this is the study on how TV works in the postmodem.

Chapter 2 is an analysis of Jean Baudrillard's work The Gulf War did not take place.

This chapter is a continual study of Baudrillard's theories on simulation and the hyperreal. The theorist's arguments on the impossibility of the Gulf War is examined.

A new type of television programme, reality TV is discussed in Chapter 3. The way In which reality TV serves the postmodem information society in implementing Baudrillard's doctrine of the hyperreal is the centre of discussion.